By Barbara @ Follow Your Own Rhythm
Often times, the reason we want to make big changes in our lives is because our current way of living and being isn’t working. Something is off, our lives are stressful, we aren’t happy, we aren’t satisfied, and we aren’t where and who we want to be.
You might want to...
Leave your stressful job and do work you love
Get out of a bad relationship
Move or relocate
Get out of debt
Quit an addiction such as drinking, gambling, shopping or smoking
Lose weight
Eat healthier
Start exercising
Stop being so angry and reactive, etc.
Whatever the change, there is always a reason for WHY you want to make this change.
There is always a positive result that you're looking for whether it’s having more energy, mental clarity, more money, more freedom, more happiness, fulfillment, health, peace, success, or simply just more time for your passions and purpose.
And this yearning for a positive change usually stems from a currently unfulfilling or unideal life situation.
And after years of living like this, you finally come to a point in your life where you feel with every fiber of your being that “enough is enough.” You can’t take it anymore and you KNOW that something needs to change.
So when you hit this “fed up” point, it’s essential that you take advantage of this feeling and use it as momentum to make a change.
These moments are your best motivators.
So once you’ve recognized that you’re fed up, ask yourself the following questions to see just how ready you are to make this change.
3 Essential Questions to Ask Yourself Before Making a BIG Life Change
1. How bad do I want this change?
How bad do I want the positive result that this change will bring? What will this do for me? How will it make me feel?
2. What am I willing to do to make this change?
Am I willing to compromise and sacrifice? How far am I willing to go?
3. What’s worse or more intolerable? The stress and pain of staying in this current situation or the inconvenience and discomfort of making this change?
Which would I rather endure?
And then, what are some things that you might have to do, face, own up to, sacrifice, or compromise in order to make this change? And are you willing to do those things?
If you’re having a hard time saying "yes" here, then maybe you’re not ready to make this change. Maybe you need to go through a little more pain and suffering to reeeeally be fed up.
Or maybe you’re just scared. And that’s ok. Change is scary and uncomfortable. But you can’t let fear of change hold you back from getting to where you want to be.
So try to make it easier on yourself.
How can you prepare for the foreseeable challenges ahead? What can you do make the “transition phase” more smooth?
For example, let’s say you struggle with drinking alcohol. Some challenges you might face are not being able to have a drink after a long day of work, at a restaurant with your spouse, or at a bar with friends.
So instead, don't plan any outings in the near future, and don't put yourself in environments that are going to trigger your desire to have a drink. If you're used to having a beer or glass of wine right after work, go exercise or go for a nature walk to get your mind off of your habit and to let the craving pass.
You can override the mental pattern by changing the physical environment and routine that triggers the mental pattern.
These are a few of the many ways you can prepare and set yourself up for success.
However, while you should prepare for challenges, you shouldn't over-focus on them.
Your main focus should be on the GOOD FEELING that this change will bring and on all the positive ways your life will be better.
So just to recap, get clear on what change you want to make, why you want to do it, answer the 3 essential questions, and then map out a plan of how you will get there!
Get the free worksheet to help you get clear and answer these questions!
And don’t let the “transition phase” a.k.a the first few weeks or months trick you into believing that this is how hard the whole journey is going to be! It ALWAYS gets easier the more and the longer you do something. It’s called "getting rid of an old habitual pattern, and creating a new one."
So don’t let the transition phase scare you.
You can do this!
I wish you all the courage, confidence and energy to make the changes that you want and need to make in your life.
"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."
-Henry Ford
If you'd like guidance on this journey, click here.
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